Mail catcher and deliverer.



J. W. WHITE.

MAIL CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION men JUNE 11. Ian.

1,289,335. Patented Dee. 31, 1918.

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kNVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY n. mun": "up: :0. mumunw. nlAsuImJun, g

JAMES W. WHITE, OF BAINBBIDGE, GEORGIA.

MAIL CATGI-IER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed June 11, 1917. Serial No. 174,077.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bainbridge, in the county of Decatur and State of Georgia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Catchers andDeliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail catching and delivering mechanism, theobject of which is to pIOVide automatically operated mechanism whichwill not subject the mail bags to undue thrust.

A further object of the invention isto provide mail bag handlingapparatus adapted to effect an automatic transfer of mail or otherpackages to a .moving train from a fixed platform beside the track,which embodies simple and effective mechanism for performing thisfunction, and which has its various parts so constructed and arranged asto minimize the opportunity forwear 0r breakage, and which performs thetransferring operation in such manner as to present the least possibleopportunity for breakage of the bag or injury to the contents thereof.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will be inpart described and in part understood from the following description ofthe present preferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mail delivery station constructed inaccordance with my invention and a sectional view of a mail carreceiving apparatus of my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective of the bag holding apparatus andreleasing mechanism.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a portion of a mail car 1 is shown which isequipped with the usual lateral openings in which I have mounted mailreceiving apparatus used in carrying out the invention. The apparatus inthis instance consists of a rod 2 mounted on the floor of the car butspaced therefrom and having a gate 8 slidably mounted thereon. Wings 4are pivotally engaged with the opposite ends of the gate and areequipped with links 5 which engage arms 6 in order to retain the gate 3in an inclined position. It will be noted that the wings 4 are so formedas to lie between the inner face of ends of the gate 3 and the outsideof the car 1, thereby preventing longitudinal displacement of the bagwhile it is gravitating on said gate 3, toward the car.

A delivering platform 8 is arranged beside the track, and is suitablysupported by the uprights indicated at 7. This platform is inclinedupwardly and outwardly away from the track, and the forward edge of thesame is disposed in substantially vertical alinement with the outerupper edge of the receiving. apparatus carried by the car.

A retaining finger 10 is disposed vertically beneath the platform 8, andprotrudes loosely through the latter near the upper end thereof. Thisretaining finger is held in proper position beneath the platform by thebearing block 13, and when the said finger is at the limit of its upwardmovement the upper end thereof protruding through the outer face of theplatform engages in a suitable opening in the end of a strap 11 securedto the mail pouch or bag 12. The lower end'of this finger has aflixedthereto an arm9, and this bag retaining mechanism including the fingeris held at the limit of its upward or operative position by an arm 16affixed to'the upper end of a rotatable shaft 17. suitably supported inthe supporting structure for the platform. The lower extremity of theshaft 17 is equipped with an arm 15, the mechanism indicated at 16 17-15constituting the trip mechanism. The finger 10 tends normally to movedownwardly under impulse of the spring 14 encircling the said finger andbearing at its upper end against the under surface of the block 13.

In operation, the finger 10 is lifted until the upper end thereofprotrudes through the platform 8, whereupon the foot mechanism is movedinto such position that the'arm 16 thereof will pass beneath and supportthe arm 9 of the bag retaining mechanism. When the trip mechanism hasbeen so moved, the arm 15 thereof will project forwardly atsubstantially right angles to the railroad track and will be disposed inthe path of travel of the outer end of the receiving apparatus carriedby the car. The mail bag is then held by the finger by engaging thelooped end of the strap 11 thereof over the upper end of the retainingfinger 10. When the train approaches, the forward end of the receivingbasket engages the arm 15 causing tall the latter to rotate and to movethe arm 16 from beneath the forwardly projecting arm 9 of the bagholding apparatus. When the arm 16 has moved from beneath the arm 9, thespring 14 will cause the finger. 10 to move downwardly, retracting theupper end of the said finger. This downward movement of the fingercauses the looped end of the retaining strap 11 to be disengaged,whereupon the bag 12 will gravitate into the receiving basket carried bythe car.

It is obvious from the foregoingthat I have provided a mail bagtransferring apparatus which is of extremely simple and inexpensiveconstruction and which is wholly automatic in its delivering operation.No attention need be paid to the apparatus after the bag is oncepositioned properly thereon, and the use of an apparatus such as thisobviates the necessity for the mail clerk in the car remaining in thedoorway during the transferring operation.

- The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to whatmaybe considered the preferred, or approved, form of myinvention. It isto be understood that I may make such changes in construction andarrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera,as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.1

I claim:

1. In a mail transferring apparatus, an inclined platform, a fingerslidably mounted in said platform and normally protruding therethroughat one end, a trip mechanism for maintaining said finger protruding fromsaid platform, and an arm carried by said tripping mechanism adapted tobe engaged Copies of this patent may be obtained for platform, anarmi-at the lower end of said finger, a shaft, an arm on said shaftadapted to move beneath and to support said finger arm, a spring tendingto move said finger toward said shaft arm, and a second arm secured tosaid shaft and extending outwardly therefrom to be engaged by a movingcan.

4:. In a mail transferring apparatus, in

combination, an inclined platform beside the track, a' mail receivingapparatus on the car, the outer side of said apparatusbeing disposed atthe same angle as-said platform and in the same plane therewith, aholding mechanism on said platform, a trip mechanism, and an arm securedto said trip mechanism and protruding into thepath of travel of saidreceiving apparatus. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES' W. WHITE.

Witnesses 7 E. A. WIMBERLEY, R. J. BROWN.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0.

